What do you make of the way racism and ethnic hatreds are treated in the novel? And how does this relate to Bob's interactions with Madge? Why do you think Himes chooses to be so graphic in his language and descriptions of people's behavior?

If He Hollers Let Him Go is a novel written by Chester Himes and published in 1945. It follows the story of Bob Jones, a naval shipyard crew member recently promoted to supervisor. In the novel, Himes depicts racism and ethnic hatred graphically. Bob's white crew mates call him racial slurs, physically beat him, and constantly express their animosity toward him, making his working environment extremely hostile. Though Himes portrays racism as a violent and extremely brutal force, he also treats it as everyday, commonplace, and not remarkable. Bob is not surprised by the hatred toward him, and the characters who treat him poorly express no doubt or remorse. The combination of both the brutality and the commonplace nature of racism gives the novel a dystopian feel.
Racism and prejudiced action are also portrayed as carrying a high human cost. Bob is plagued by nightmares and by near debilitating anxiety. We see the toll this treatment takes on Bob's psyche. As he is continuously objectified and over-sexualized, Bob begins to express violent wish-fulfillment dreams of physically dominating his coworkers, and raping and murdering Madge (a white coworker who abuses and mistreats him). Madge and Bob relate to each other through fear, hatred, and a sexualized violence present in all their interactions.
The reason Himes chose to be so graphic is that If He Hollers Let Him Go is a protest novel. A protest novel uses stories and characters in order to draw attention to a social issue. In protest novels, the human cost of social ills is highlighted and dramatized. We see the effect of these social conditions as they might play out in the lives of human beings. Other examples of this genre include: Native Son (Richard Wright), The Jungle (Upton Sinclair), Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck), and Uncle Tom's Cabin (Harriet Beecher Stowe).